The Symbolism and Meaning of Celosia and a Detailed Guide to Home Care

I believe everyone has bought celosia (Celosia argentea) at the flower market to grow at home, because celosia carries very beautiful symbolism, embodying the good wishes of "promotion upon promotion" and "rising step by step". In appearance, it has petals that closely resemble an official's hat, so during the Zhongyuan Festival in ancient times people placed it on offering tables to honor their ancestors. In addition, it is itself an excellent beauty product; made into medicinal pills it is very good for nourishing the liver and brightening the eyes, and used as a soup ingredient it also has effects such as tonifying the spleen and caring for the skin.

Celosia mostly blooms from July to September, and the market offers many choices of fresh cut flowers and potted plants. So how do you care for it after buying it? First, when selecting at the flower market, you can start by checking whether its crest shape is plump, because celosia is a very magical plant: at first it is small and umbrella-shaped, and as you grow it, it becomes bigger and bigger. So when choosing, pay attention to whether any petals are half-fallen, and also check whether the leaves are fresh and whether they are green. It is best to choose evenly plump flower heads.

After buying it, unpack it, remove the netting on the celosia, then diagonally trim the base of the stems and revive the flowers in deep water for about 4 hours. After the flowers have revived, remove the excess leaves, keeping only 1-2 ornamental leaves. Then take a nice-looking vase, add about 5 cm of water, and grow it in shallow water. If conditions allow, you can add some preservative or 84 disinfectant at this point; doing so can reduce bacterial growth. Finally, use a spiraling motion to gather the flowers in your hand; the flower heads do not need to be aligned, letting them have a staggered up-and-down feel before arranging them in the vase, so the arrangement will look better. Then diagonally trim the base of the stems according to the height of the vase. For subsequent water changes, change the water every 2-3 days, keep the room ventilated, and let it receive plenty of sunlight.

Because of its unique form, celosia gives people a natural sense of wealth and nobility. Besides being used as fresh cut flowers, it can also be grown in soil. When caring for celosia at home in daily life, it needs plenty of sunlight, and it is recommended to place it on a stand or by a window. Avoid long periods in a dark environment, otherwise the quality of blooming will be affected. As for watering, just keep the soil moist but not waterlogged, generally at a frequency of watering 1-2 times per week. As for fertilizer, you can apply a fertilizer rich in phosphorus and potassium once a month; when transplanting later, you can add compost or compound fertilizer in the middle, which ensures lush flower spikes.